Quincy woman charged with college bomb hoax out on bail

Monday

May 19, 2014 at 7:10 AMMay 19, 2014 at 5:00 PM

Police say Danielle Shea, 22, did not want her family to know she had not been attending the university.

Patriot Ledger & Associated Press

MERIDAN, Conn. — The 22-year-old Quincy woman accused of calling in fake bomb threats to a college graduation in Connecticut, hoping to prevent her family from finding out that she had not attended the university, has been released on $10,000 bail.

Danielle Shea, who graduated from Fontbonne Academy in Milton in 2010, was arraigned Monday at Meridan Superior Court in Connecticut on felony charges of reporting a false incident and first degree threatening. She’s due back in court to enter a plea on June 2, the court clerk’s office said.

Hamden police said Shea gave a detailed confession after being arrested Sunday at the indoor campus athletic arena, the TD Bank Sports Center, where the commencement for the university's College of Arts and Sciences had been moved because of the threats. She was wearing a cap and gown she'd purchased.

Police said Shea didn't attend the university this year, but her mother paid thousands of dollars she thought was for her daughter's education. When graduation arrived, Shea panicked when relatives didn't see her name on the graduation roster, they said.

According to police, Shea made two calls to the university's public safety department. In the first, about 20 minutes before the start of the 6 p.m. graduation ceremony, she stated there was a “bomb in the library,” said police. In the second call, about 20 minutes later, police said Shea warned “Several bombs are on campus” and noted “You haven't cleared out graduation. That's not a good idea.”

Hamden and university police identified Shea using the telephone number she'd called from and then found her at the arena.